This application claims priority from PCT/GB96/00892 filed Apr. 11, 1996 and U.K. patent applications 9507574.3 filed Apr. 12, 1995 and 9508461.2 filed Apr. 26, 1995.
This invention relates to electrical connectors, especially those with a coaxial mating end and a cable termination or other second connector end, which provides impedance transformation. The invention is also related to a connector that readily terminates to wires of a cable.
Connectors that have a front end with contacts for mating to another connector and a rear end with mateable contacts or with means for connecting to wires of a cable, sometimes require impedance transformation and/or DC isolation. This is especially so where the mateable contacts at the front end of the connector are coaxial contacts. The rear end may be a coaxial cable, twisted wire pair or other wire line, or a mateable coaxial connector end. It would be desirable to minimize the number of separate components that a technician must handle in making a connection with impedance transformation and/or DC isolation.
There is often a need to connect the front end of a cable to contacts of a connector. A connector of simple construction which enabled simple cable termination, would also be of value.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a connector assembly and connector part thereof are provided, that are of simple and compact construction. The connector part provides impedance transformation by a transformer lying directly within a connector housing, between contacts at the front and rear ends of the housing. This enables an impedance transformation without requiring connection to an external transformer. The transformer is preferably of torroidal shape and has its windings connected to traces on a circuit board that lies within the connector, with the plane of the circuit board being normal to the axis of the connector. For a coaxial connector front end, the inner conductor can extend through the hole in the torroidal transformer.
Where the rear of the connector assembly connects to the front end of a cable, the rear of the connector part, which includes the transformer, includes insulation displacement contacts that face rearwardly. A separate termination assembly includes a cable clamp that clamps to the cable and includes a front end with walls formed to hold the front end of cable wires that have been bent at least 90xc2x0. The cable wires on the termination assembly are mated to the connector part by moving the connector part rearwardly until slots of the insulation displacement contacts receive the wires. Then, a separate holder is slid forwardly to surround the termination assembly and to receive and snap to a rear section of the connector part shell.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.